Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have been monitoring the state of affairs in Yemen with growing anxiety, particularly in recent weeks as reports of the increased threat of famine have circulated. I am deeply concerned by the level of violence in Yemen and by reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Three years of war have had devastating consequences for civilians. Yemen is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 22 million people, or three quarters of the population, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance and approximately 2 million people internally displaced. The latest report from the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator in Yemen, Ms Lise Grande, sounds an alarm that between 12 million and 13 million Yemeni citizens will be at acute risk of famine in the coming months if the conflict continues.

Ireland has provided almost €16.5 million in bilateral humanitarian assistance to Yemen since the conflict began in 2015. Of this, €4 million was contributed in March to the UN Yemen humanitarian fund. Ireland pledges global funding to a number of organisations that are particularly active in Yemen, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ireland also contributes to EU support for Yemen. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2015, the EU has allocated more than €438 million to the crisis. It supports therapeutic feeding centres for the treatment of malnourished children, healthcare, food aid programmes and emergency assistance to displaced populations.

Humanitarian access is a critical issue so that aid can reach those who need it. There is a pattern of difficulties with this in Yemen. Commercial access is equally important, since a population of over 20 million people cannot survive on aid alone indefinitely. This has been one of my consistent messages to all parties involved in the conflict.

Officers from my Department consistently convey the Government’s strong concerns to the Saudi, United Arab Emirates and Iranian Embassies in Dublin. I met the Saudi ambassador this afternoon and stressed the emphasis that Ireland puts on this issue as well as the issue raised by the previous Deputy.

Both at UN level and in EU discussions on the issue, Ireland has sought at all times to stress that military action will not be sufficient to bring a lasting solution to the conflicts between communities in Yemen. Military victory, even if it is achievable, will not address the root causes of the conflict. The pursuit of military victory also brings an unacceptable cost for the Yemeni people on a humanitarian level. We have seen time and again the tragic results of the errors and recklessness which are endemic to conflict situations.

Negotiations must be reinvigorated, and Ireland and the EU fully support the work of Martin Griffiths, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, and his team. The Government is also vigilant for opportunities to make any progress we can in international fora, including on ensuring accountability for crimes committed during the conflict. At the Human Rights Council in September 2017, Ireland was part of a small core group of countries that drove forward the adoption by consensus of a resolution establishing a Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen. I personally worked closely with the Dutch Foreign Minister at the time, Bert Koenders, on this resolution. The group established is carrying out investigations into all alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by all warring parties in Yemen. Last month, Ireland worked to ensure that the mandate of this group was extended for a year, to allow more time to complete its vital work.

I assure the Deputies that Ireland will continue to take every appropriate opportunity to urge stronger international action, and will press for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen.

See this speech in context